George Sakato

Medal of Honor Recipient

George Sakato joined the military after his family moved to Arizona to avoid being placed in a World War II concentration camp. As a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, he fought in Italy and France. As Company E attempted to break through the German’s encirclement of a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment, known as the Lost Battalion, Mr. Sakato was knocked down by a mortar shell; the bulky winter overcoat he was carrying in his pack kept him from being killed by the shrapnel that struck his spine and lungs. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for his valor. Following the war, Mr. Sakato settled in the Denver area and worked for the United States Postal Service. Fifty-five years later, he received a call from the Pentagon informing him that his military award was being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. He was presented with the medal by President Bill Clinton on June 21, 2000.